N585m scandal: Four things to know about allegation against Tinubu’s Minister Betta Edu

Reports of an alleged N585 million corruption by Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, have been all over the media for the past 48 hours.

Edu’s problems began when a leaked memo to the Accountant General of the Federation dated December 20, 2023, appeared online and asked for the transfer of N585 million intended for Grants for Vulnerable Groups to a personal account.

identifies four facts concerning the incident that Nigerians should be aware of.


Edu did not dispute depositing N585 million into a personal account.

Minister Betta Edu affirmed that she gave her approval for N585 million to be deposited into Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola’s personal account.

defence, the Minister claimed the payment followed due process.


According to her, she currently serves as the Project Accountant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

However, the action of the Minister was against Chapter 7, Section 713 of the Federal Government’s Financial Regulations 2009, which notes, ‘Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account’.

The Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatosin Madein, faulted Edu’s payment of N585 million into a personal account.

Madein said in a statement on Saturday that her office declined Edu’s request for money.

She pointed out that the Minister had broken financial restrictions with his activities.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu promised to punish anybody found guilty and launched an investigation into the accusation on Sunday.

Nigerians’ indignation and resentment prompted calls for punishment and the Betta Edu’s sacking.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been warned with legal action by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) if he does not look into the claims that Edu paid N585,189,500.00 into a private account.

Human rights attorney Femi Falana called on the Minister to step down from her role and cease offending Nigerians’ sensibilities on Sunday.

Since the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has compiled the individual bank accounts of every vulnerable person, there can be no lawful basis for the criminal diversion of the aforementioned sum of N585.18 million intended for distribution to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun States, he stated in a statement.

Furthermore, professor and well-known writer Farooq Kperogi, who is Nigerian-American, has requested that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fire Edu due to a purported N585,198,500.00 corruption scandal.

Human rights campaigner Deji Adeyanju, for his part, has said that the military’s termination of Nigeria’s democracy was because to acts such as Edu’s.

As such, he demanded that Edu be fired right away.